Gena Camerlengo and her friend, Bryan, plane nicely in her dad's 10.6 SR with an 8hp gas motor

We have enjoyed our Sea Eagle 10.6sr inflatable boat on the ocean off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Running our boat along the coastline to uninhabited islands including a bird sanctuary has given all of us good times to reminisce for years to come. It’s adventures like these, with the help of our Sea Eagle boat, that keep our adventurous trips anticipated by our family and friends for years to come. Thank you, Sea Eagle!

— Leon Camerlengo

When we spoke with Leon Camerlengo recently, he told us his story of enjoying solo time and social time among South Carolina’s Barrier Islands with his Sea Eagle 10.6sr

Leon is a medical professional in Columbus, Ohio and owns a second home near Charleston, South Carolina, within easy reach of the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina’s famous Barrier Islands.

Having gone to medical school there, Charleston is familiar turf for Leon.He and his wife, Kathy, spend weeks at a time there in spring and summer. “I love the summers in Charleston,” Leon told us.

Easy access to water makes boating a natural for the Camerlengos. The Edisto River, the longest undammed and unleveed blackwater river in North America, is right around the corner, as are endless miles of Atlantic Ocean, pristine beaches, and uninhabited islands.

“I never grew up around boating,” Leon told us, “but with a home within a mile of the ocean,” he wanted to give boating a try. “Our Sea Eagle is so much fun, comfortable, and safe, it’s just a blast.”

Just the two of us

The Camerlengos love the peace and quiet they find on South Carolina’s lesser-known, secluded beaches. “When it’s just Kathy and me,” Leon says, “we go to one of the islands, pull up, and go picnicking; just the two of us.” Or they’ll go dolphin-watching. “Dolphins are everywhere down here,” he tells us. “When you see one, you’ll soon see many more.”

Leon explains the appeal of their private time. “We just enjoy being together in a private atmosphere. Our Sea Eagle can always bring us to a private place where other people aren’t. It’s like having own private island right around the corner.”

The “SR” in the 10.6sr stands for Sport Runabout. While Kathy sunbathes on their private excursions, Leon is “catching air” with his Sea Eagle. “The performance is really good,” says Leon. “Steering is accurate and it planes easily with two passengers with our Mercury 8HP motor.” With the 8, “it’s kind of like flying. When I hit the waves right, I get airborne. To me, that’s exhilarating.” Leon will be flying higher this season with his new, 15HP motor.

Boating with family & friends

Besides boating with family, Kathy and Leon take outings with friends to nearby Deveaux Bank Seabird Sanctuary. Off limits above the high tide line, this is a predator-free nesting site for thousands and thousands of sea birds. “With no predators,” says Leon, “the pelicans just stand there looking at you.”

Gena, Leon and Kathy's daughter, and her friend Bryan take the helm for a spin in Dad's Sea Eagle along the South Carolina coast.

“Everyone who comes down to visit us loves the Sea Eagle,” says Leon. “It brings people together.” He’ll ferry a few friends at a time to outings on nearby islands. Asked why he doesn’t get a bigger boat that’ll hold more passengers he replies, “I love the adventure of a smaller boat – the waves breaking over the bow make it fun like a day in the sun.”

Run all day on a couple gallons

“I wanted a boat that was light enough to carry,” he says. “Bigger boats are more trouble. If I bottom out on a sandbar, I can pick up the Sea Eagle and move it.” And the inflatable Sea Eagle provides an added benefit: affordability. “With gas prices as they are,” says Leon, “we go all day on a couple gallons. After initial purchase it’s affordable way to have fun.” Leon compares the cost of his boating fun with that of a friend who goes offshore fishing. “He’s spending $800 in gas on a single trip!”

Sea, sand, sun & fun off the South Carolina coast. (OK, visitors, who can ID the bird?)

All fun, no upkeep

“What else could you want?” asks Leon. “It’s a small investment with a big bang for your buck. Where else could you get that much fun for that little money? There’s no upkeep, it’s very inexpensive to operate, reliable, and a lot of fun.”

South Carolina sun, sand, surf, and a Sea Eagle…it all sounds perfect to us!

Do YOU have Sea Eagle photos & stories to share? Our blog visitors want to see…and YOU could be featured on our Blog.

9 Responses to A Sea Eagle among SOUTH CAROLINA’S BARRIER ISLANDS

Hi Gina Bryan Kathy & Leon. I like your story on the SeaEagle blog. It looks like you are having a real good time at your SC vacation property and with your SE Sport Runabout. How about posting some photos of Kathy & Leon.??

Great story and photos. I love seeing people use their Sea Eagles to get out and enjoy nature. Sea Eagles give you access to places you might not ever be able to get to otherwise. It seems that there is a Sea Eagle for everyone’s budget and lifestyle.

Love how the boat goes with a motor. If I live much longer, which I hope I will (???) (gotta get my moneysworth out of my boat) I may get a motor for my Erne. Could sail to Vancouver via the Columbia River!! Now that would be a tale to tell!

But they are marvellous boats. I just love mine. My motto “never leave home without it!”

Great story among the Barrier Islands.
I personally own the Sea Eagle 440 FC. It has brought us more enjoyment fishing than ever. I take my wife and my two grandchildren and we go to the Arvada reservoir 3 or 4 times a week. We usually try to go out early in the morning and fish for 2 to 3 hours. Everyone is very comfortable on the boat, sometimes we have good luck and will return later in the day between five and eight o’clock in the evening. I can’t say how pleased and how wonderful this book really is. It is so easy to fish from and with a Minkota 55 pound thrust electric motor how quickly we can skim across the water. I can run for a full day with no problems at all on one battery charge. I also have went for two days but by the end of the second day the battery is running out of poop. The cost is nothing to operate and it performs so so well. I am handicapped and get around with a cane. This boat is easy to get on and off of at the dock because it is at the same level as the dock.I have put an electric winch and a small frame with rollers on the back of my pickup truck (1990 Chevy) so I can load and unload my boat all by myself. I just leave it inflated all the time. I put the boat on my truck at the first of April and I take it off in the fall around the first of October.
Kudos to the engineers that designed this boat. They thought of just about everything you need to make it a good fishing vessel.
Best regards, Ken…

Hi Ken,
Loved your comment on Leon’s Sea Eagle story. I’m the editor of this blog. Do you have photos of you and your family boating? We’re always looking for good Sea Eagle photos and stories to post. Please email me at steveedwards@seaeagle.com
Thanks, Steve

Greate, I too have a Seaegle 12.5 with a 18hp and my family and I make the best of it, lake or ocean, it the best thing and fun we have here in Puerto Rico, don’t have to wate for a ride to go to the best spotes, so keep injoying yours the same way I enjoy mine.

I ALSO HAVE A SEA EAGLE 10.5 FOR 9 YEARS , WHICH HAS BEEN ALL OVER THE USA AND NOWERE HAVE I SEEN ONE THAT HAD A MOTOR BUT NO NUMBERS OR A SECOND MEANS OF MOVING THE BOAT LIKE THE OARS THAT CAME WITH THE BOAT. SORRY BUT THIS LOOKS LIKE HE IS NOT A VERY SAFE BOATER [ BUT THEY DID HAVE THERE LIFE JACKETS ON]